Long Way Down
by UnidentifiedFlyingUser
Summary: Silver receives a call from his father, who proceeds to threaten him and his friends if he doesn't do as he says. Silver later begins to steal Pokémon and perform other deeds for his father. First fic, please review.
1. Chapter 1

"Strange how things turn out. Two birds, one stone and all that. But things have worked out for the best and now we all get to work together,' [McBlane] said, and a smile spread across his face as easy as a politician's lie."

R.D. Ronald, _The Elephant Tree_

* * *

I STARED OUT into the cities of Goldenrod,watched the cars go by. They'd go, stop for a second or two cause of a stoplight, then keep going after a minute's passed. That's the way things were down here. _Never change, Goldenrod_, I thought. Then I stepped back into my apartment.

The bed was unmade, the comforter thrown so that its lip was a few feet further down the bed. Further down, there was a kitchen table bare of all things, save for a set or two of forks and knives. The kitchen was beyond that, and there was the door. Not much, but it's served me well for a few months.

I rent it using my own money. I occasionally get financial aid from a friend, but that's once in a blue moon. One might think a 16 year old should:

still live with his parents, or

not have the money to live in even a shabby apartment, like mine.

I have answers to both those problems. B is because I train Pokémon, which occasionally makes good money. Lying to the landlord about your age also helps.

The Poké Gear in my pocket buzzed. I grabbed it, pressed a button, then put it to my ear. "Hey," I said.

"Hey, Sil," Gold said.

I rolled my eyes. Sil is not my actual name. It's Silver. Laugh if you want, I know many others have. "What's up?"

"Nothing right now. Just preparing."

I was about to ask what for, only I remembered right then. The Pokéathlon was a competition in which Pokémon competed in racing and other events that I couldn't bother myself with. Gold talked about it all week last week. Said he was gonna win. He's nothing, if not confident.

"So," I began, "what'd you call for?"

"I was wondering if you could buy a ticket to the Dome."

I sighed. He'd been wondering about this for the entirety of last week, too. Each time I said no. "Gold, you know the money's tight right now, what with rent to pay."

"So I'll pay it for you!"

"For six thousand Poké Dollars. No."

"You're forgetting who I live with."

I hadn't. Parents with too much money and not enough sense. They had more Pokémon than you can count on all of our hands. Neither of us said anything for a second. I broke the silence: "I suppose if I can win a few battles...I don't know. We'll see." Most trainers pay the victor of a battle if they lose.

"Dude, I can pay it! I'll just ask the folks for some of my spare cash."

"It's my ticket I'm paying for. Not yours."

Gold tsked. "You're humble, you know that?"

"Yes." _Much too humble_ was the unspoken part. "I'll battle a few trainers and see what I can get from it. That okay?"

"Whatever floats your boat, man. I gotta finish packing. Seeya!"

"Bye —"

He hangs up before I can finish. Not that I can blame him. The Pokéathlon starts two days from now.

THAT NIGHT AT eleven P.M., I sat at my table, piling up my earnings. I won 6 battles out of 7, which gained a grand total of 3039 Poké Dollars. Not bad, right?

Sorta. The rent was 1250 a week. Add that with groceries, and I had about 1354 Poké Dollars left to spend as I chose. That wasn't enough to even think about the ticket to that damn Pokéathlon which was just a waste of time as it is. I sigh. Then I started to cook my dinner. A cheeseburger.

After I finished and ate, I went on the Poké Gear browser, looked for news. _Prime Minister Iwata To Resign Following Scandal_. Arceus knows we'll see _that _headline in our lives. I scroll down. _Gas Prices Reach Record High_. Doesn't concern me, but a lot of drivers will be pissed when the car stops in the middle of the road, I guess.

I keep scrolling down. Then a headline catches my eye, but I flick past it. I scroll back up. _Team Rocket Crimelord Released On Parole_. I almost drop the thing. I click it.

It reads something like this:

_The leader of the Team Rocket gang, Giovanni, is being released for about 2 months, following good behavior. He was arrested in 2013 for racketeering._

And that's basically the article. There were no interviews with the prison staff, not even the prisoner himself. Even if they were there, they couldn't stop my heart pounding. I click off the news page. Dial Gold's number. It takes 2 dials before he answers.

"Hey...I'm sleeping here," he said. He slurred his words.

"Father's been released," I say.

"Wait, what?" That oughta wake him up.

"Turn on the news."

"Not now, man! The rest of my family are asleep, not to mention my Pokémon."

"Can't you look on your damn Poké Gear?"

"...Right. Hold on, be back in a minute."

"Wait —"

He hung up again. Typical. I sat there and waited. About two minutes later, the phone rang again.

"Jeez," he said, and he paused. "Do you think he'll… do you think he'll come after you?"

"At this point, I don't even know what to think." I started putting the money in my pack, then zipped it. "I need to clear my head. Gonna sleep." My thumb drifts toward the disconnect button.

"Wait up."

It stops. Maybe he could try to do that sometime. "Yeah?"

"If you need help of any kind… well, the Pokéathlon takes place in Goldenrod, so you'll know where to find me."

My teeth came together. Friend or not, I could handle myself. I didn't need him to coddle me. I opened my mouth to say that, but then I closed it again.

Then he said, "Hellooo? Still there?"

"Yes," I said, "And thanks for the offer."

"That's what friends are for, right? Anyway, gotta get back to sleep. Later!" He hangs up.

No matter how I don't like to admit it, he's right. Helping each other is what friends are for. _He's a good friend_, I tell myself. Then I get to my bed and try to sleep.

I didn't sleep for a long time before the alarm on the Poké Gear rang.


	2. Chapter 2

THE FIRST THING I did was check the time. 5:03 am. I fell asleep 3 hours earlier. I sighed and sat up. I went to the kitchen, started to make coffee. I walked out on the balcony while it was brewing.

There's a certain calm to Goldenrod in the early morning hours, like these. There are less cars on the street, less people on the sidewalks. Less noise. I almost smiled. Times like these are when I truly appreciate this city.

The Poké Gear rang. I pulled it out of my pocket, stared at the Caller ID. Unknown. I pressed the send button, and put it to my ear.

"Who's this?" I asked.

No answer.

"Hello?"

"You're awake. At _this _hour. I never expected you to be an early bird."

I nearly dropped the Poké Gear. The voice sounded familiar. _Too_ familiar. But it couldn't be him. Not —

"Now, don't be rude," he said. "Talk to your father."

I stared at nothing in particular. I was gaping. "How did you get this number?"

"Yellow Pages. It isn't exactly hard to find a person named 'Silver'."

I paused. Then, "What do you want from me?"

"What does any parent want from their kid who ran away? For them to come home."

I gritted my teeth. "No. Never again."

I heard Giovanni suck in air, then blow it out. "I thought you'd say that. But you haven't thought about your friends. About Gold."

I gripped the Poké Gear so hard, I thought I'd crush it. "You wouldn't fucking—"

He chuckled. "No, I wouldn't. Not me, anyway."

Neither of us said anything for a time. Then, I said, "I'll do whatever you want. Not come home, but I'll do what you tell me. Just… just think of something. And don't hurt him, or — or I'll find you."

"And do what? Kill me? We both know you won't do that."

I sighed. He was right.

"Well," he said, "I can't guarantee that I won't bring you home. But I will think of something. And I will get back to you. Don't change your phone number, or I'll know."

Dial tone. Shaking, I put the Poké Gear back in my pocket. I turned toward the apartment, made a beeline for the kitchen. The coffee was done. I poured some and sipped it. _I'm gonna need this_, I thought.

HANGING ON TO a relatively large bird-like thing while it flies 50 feet in the air isn't as fun as it looks. It's terrifying, actually, knowing if your grip slips, you're dead. No ifs, ands, or buts. In any other situation, I'd have taken a cab, but this was important. I used my Honchkrow to fly over to New Bark Town, Gold's hometown, because it was faster.

We approached the ground. Honchkrow slowed down as my feet touch the ground, and I hit the ground running. I nearly stumbled, but I steadied myself. I pulled out a Poké Ball and pointed it at Honchkrow. "Return," I said. It turned into a stream of light, and it went toward the Poké Ball. Then it disappeared. I walked toward the general direction of Gold's house.

"House", though, isn't really the correct term. It'd take quite a few houses to match up to the height, length and width of Gold's home. It's really more of a mansion. The roof was black, the bricks a fading red. I went up to the door, knocked on it thrice. No answer. I pressed the doorbell. I heard footsteps a few seconds later, and then the door opened, but Gold wasn't standing in the doorway.

A tall brunette wearing a red shirt and a big smile was there instead. She looked in her mid-40s. "Hello!" she said.

"Hi," I said. "Is Gold around?"

"Oh, yes," she said, and she nodded as if to emphasize that. "Right this way." She gestured for me to come in, and I did. Every room, it seemed, was lined with open windows, through which light poured in. Another thing about the place was that it was clean; no place looked dirty. The Pokémon, I figured, were in the backyard.

The woman guided me to the staircase. She took a breath, and yelled, "Gold! Your friend's here!"

I heard a door open. "Come on up!" I heard Gold yell. I went up the staircase, and faced Gold. He was smiling. I wasn't.

"Hey! What're you doing here?" he asked.

"We have a problem. A big one." I stepped inside his room.

Togebo, Gold's Togetic, was on the bed. It scowled at me. Gold followed behind me and shut the door. I noticed his smile went away. "What sort of problem?" he asked.

I sat on his bed. Togebo jumped back on the floor, walked around the room. I drummed my fingers on my knee, opened my mouth, closed it. If there was one thing I was bad at, it was figuring out how to word things.

"C'mon," he said, and he sat next to me. Put his arm around my shoulder. "Out with it. You can tell me."

I inhaled, exhaled. "Father…" I trailed off.

"Yeah? What about him?"

I told him how he called me, what he said to me, what I said to him, what I asked of him, what he threatened to do with Gold. For a moment, he was gaping.

"I — I don't — ah, jeez…"

Silence. Then, he pulled me into a hug. I just sat there, dumb. Staring at him.

"You're hugging me, Gold," I said.

"I know, it just…"

"What?"

"...It seemed like you needed it." He let go of me. "That's all."

I didn't need a hug, though. I needed advice. Hugs can't compensate for that. "What should I do? Just go along with what he says?"

"No. Let me see him. I'll give him a piece of my mind, the no good…" he trailed off, and punched his hand.

I glared at him, but I couldn't help myself. Unless Gold had some death wish I knew nothing about, that was easily the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Giovanni is the kind of person to start an argument if you even look at him the wrong way. "I'm sure he could stand up to a teen," I said. "He'd kill you."

Gold looked at me, saw my glare. He took his fist out of his palm and grinned, blushed. Chuckled. "Sorry. Just… you know. Wishing."

'Wishing.' I couldn't blame him. "Forget about me," I said, "what should _you _do?"

He leaned back, sighed. "I'm still going to the Pokéathlon."

"No."

"Why not? This is a once in a 4 year thing, you know!"

"If he's been released, then he'll find some way to get to you. To get to me."

He opened his mouth, then stared at me. "How'd he know about me, anyway?"

I just looked at him. Then looked down at my shoes. "I...I'll find that out."

Silence again. Then, "You don't know?"

"Giovanni never tells his secrets." Then I get an idea. I frowned, shook my head. _She'd never —_

Gold tapped his foot. "Look, man. If you need anything, like backup or some shit like that, I'm your guy."

I glared again. "I can handle myself, Gold. Have been for 6 years."

He laughed. "I'm very aware! Just saying."

I sighed. The Poké Gear rang. I took it out and looked at the screen. My face fell. "It's him."

He stared at me, stone-faced, said, "Answer it."

I stood up, went to the door, opened it, went into the hall, then answered the call. "Thoughts?"

"I have an idea," Giovanni said, "but it's too hush-hush. I'll need you to meet me to talk about it."

I gritted my teeth. "How do you know you won't try to take me away?"

"You don't. But I won't. I'm a man of my word, Silver. Remember that."

I sighed. "Yes," I said half-heartedly.

He paused. "Do you doubt me? I can prove it to you."

I blinked. "No, father. Not at all."

"Good. That's what I thought. Anyway. The place is at the Ilex Forest. We meet at twelve noon. Come alone. Don't disappoint me."

Dial tone. I sighed. Twelve noon was three hours from now.

I looked at Gold's door. I stepped to it and opened it. Put on my best apologetic face. Told him what he said. Gold offered to be a lookout, I said no. After that, we went to the backyard and watched his Pokémon play. We battled against each other for the last 10 minutes or so, him winning. He refused payment. After that, we said our goodbyes, and I left for Azalea Town.

All the while, the idea never left my head. The time when I left was 11:20.


	3. Chapter 3

I NEVER LIKED Azalea Town. It was basically a maze. There was no definite road grid, meaning an outsider can truly get lost. This is what happened to me on my first visit here, and it's what happened to me minutes earlier. I spent twenty damn minutes searching for the west end of town. I only found it when I asked the locals for directions.

I stood at the entrance of the Ilex Forest for about five minutes. Then I reached in my pocket and pulled out the Poké Gear. Dialed another friend's number. The dial tone rang out for a minute, then, her voice said, "Hey, it's me! I'm not here right now, leave a message!"

A beep. "Hey, it's me. Look, I've something to talk to you about. I don't know if Gold'll tell you by the time you get back, but if he hasn't, I'd like to tell you. In person. Alright? Give me a call when you get back." I hung up, put the Poké Gear in my pocket. She was probably out shopping. Again. I sighed, then I figured there was no point in standing there. I entered the forest.

It was almost like a gateway, the way it was laid out. Small trees gave way to a clearing, in which a shrine sat in the middle of. Paths branched off from there. I stood by the shrine, waited.

I heard a clearing throat over by my right. I turned. I saw a man in a suit, standing tall. He was in his early forties, but had wrinkles on his face which made him look ten years older.

"You're early," Giovanni said.

I sighed again. "I aim to please," I said.

"Come over here, let me get a look at you. I can't see faraway things well."

I walked over to him. I still kept my distance from him.

He smiled. It didn't look happy. "My son. It's good to see you again."

I didn't smile back. "What did you think of?"

His smile went away. "Walk with me." He started down a path. I followed. "The thing is, Silver, I've only been released because I've been a good prisoner. Understand?"

"I read the news. I'm not stupid."

Giovanni nodded. "So I see. Since that was _good _behavior, there are certain things that I _want _to do, but can't. Get me?"

I closed my eyes, sighed. "Yes, father."

"That's where you come in. You're going to be my apprentice, for lack of a better word."

I stared at him. "What for?"

He glared. "I need you to steal Pokémon for me."

I glared back. I opened my mouth to refuse, but I snapped it shut. For that moment, I said nothing.

"Well? Whaddya say?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Yes, you do. Yes, or no. Gold lives, or Gold dies. You do have a choice."

I bared my teeth at him. I was shaking. After a second, I closed my mouth. Tried to compose myself. "I'll do what you want," I mumbled.

"Good," he said, and he smiled. Then, the bastard chuckled. "Very good. You start tomorrow. Meet me here, same time." He stopped walking, then I stopped. I turned and glared at him.

"You think I can't just walk into a police depot and tell them what you're doing?"

"You have a criminal record. Who's gonna believe you?"

I looked down. Then I turned and headed toward the exit.

"Wait," he yelled.

I stopped. "Yes?"

He didn't say anything for a moment. "It's good to see you, son."

I had to force myself not to look at him. Then, I continue walking.

WHAT HE SAID about my having a criminal record wasn't a lie. Five years ago, I'd stolen a Pokémon from some poor sap. I got caught not two hours later. I was in juvie for a few months. It wasn't pleasant. That's all I'll say about that because that's all I feel comfortable remembering.

I was lying on my bed when I got the call back from Blue. She said she'd be happy to talk about it, whatever _it_ was, at her house. She'd have snacks and drinks ready. I left my apartment and walked to the apartment building. It was only four blocks down.

SHE STOOD THERE at the entrance, wearing her black blouse and boots. It seemed to repel most people, like opposite magnets. Not me, though. I thought she was good-looking. Beautiful, if I didn't want to mince words. She waved when I stepped toward the apartment. I nodded, tried to fake a smile. We exchanged greetings, headed upstairs to her apartment, asking the usual questions: "What've you been up to? How are your Pokémon?" Stuff like that, only it's less static. We branched off into all different kinds of things. Then, we arrived at her apartment.

"I have some chips and soda over by the table," she said as she reached inside her purse for her keys.

"Thanks. But I came to tell you the thing I told you I was going to tell you. Remember?"

Her smile went away, but she wasn't frowning. "Oh, yeah. You might as well do that." She opened the door, gestured me in.

I stepped inside. The apartment was tidy. Not only that, it was well furnished with things that didn't look decades old. She entered, shut the door, then went over to the couch and sat.

"So," she began, "what do you have to tell me?"

I told her about everything that happened. Afterwards, she seemed to look at everything but me. Then she looked down. "Arceus…"

"Yeah," I said.

She didn't respond. She just kept looking down. I raised an eyebrow.

"Blue? Everything alright?" I asked.

She just shook her head. I moved to sit down next to her.

"You can tell me," I said. "You know you can."

Silence. Then, "He called me one night. Said he'd find both of us and kill us if I didn't give him your number. So — so I gave it to him."

I looked at her, my teeth came together. I started to breathe more heavily, in through nose, out through mouth.

She noticed this. "You're mad at me."

"No!" I yelled. She jumped. "No. No, I'm not mad. Not at all. You — you just wanted to protect me and you. That's all."

It was a long time before she does something. And that something was shake her head. "All this is my fault…"

"No. Don't say that. It's Giovanni's and no one else's."

But she kept on shaking her head.


	4. Chapter 4

I WAS WALKING down the street a few hours afterward, headed home. The five p.m. rush was in full swing, with people headed all kinds of different directions on the sidewalk. People bumping into other people wasn't an odd sight.

Someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around. The man behind me was wearing all black with red accents on his shirt. Team Rocket colors.

"You Silver?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

The Rocket grunt reached into his pocket, pulled out a folded slip of paper. Put it in my hand. "For you."

I put it in my pocket. "Thanks," I said, not even looking at him.

He grunted in what I suppose what was a response, then turned and headed in the opposite direction.

Nothing else happened during my walk home.

I ENTERED THE apartment, and that same musty smell greeted me. I went to the kitchen table, sat there, pulled the slip of paper from my pocket, and unfolded it. It read:

_Silver,_

_Your first assignment is to grab a Poliwhirl from a Cianwood City PC. The username is usandthem382. Password's "rt94m96". Memorize these. When you do so, destroy this letter. Follow suit for all letters that follow. The Pokémon's due tomorrow at the Ilex Forest, same time as today. Have no outside assistance._

— _Giovanni_

_PS. Get some new outfits. The worst thieves have only one costume._

I stared at the letter for a bit. It wasn't that I didn't expect this, it was that it was too _easy_. He could've given a job to snatch a trainer's Pokémon when he wasn't looking, at least. I sighed. Even when I'm less than two years from becoming an adult, he still treated me like a child.

The Poké Gear rang. I pulled it out of my pocket, answered. Gold was on the other line.

"I'm in Goldenrod," he said. "When I was getting over here, I came up with a question I've been meaning to ask."

"Go on," I said, sighing. I was steeling myself for an exorbitant favor. I knew him to ask those.

"I was thinking of saving money and rooming with you."

Oh _dear_. I could handle Gold's Pokémon at his house, but not here. This was my place. But I didn't want to say _no_. "I — well…"

"Yeah?"

Silence. "...Sure."

"Sweet! Thanks, man!"

"...No problem." I gave him the address of the building and my apartment number, then we hung up. I heard a knock on my door not twenty minutes later. I opened it, and there he was, suitcase in hand. Aibo was by his side. We said our hellos and I showed him around.

"Nice place," he said with a shit-eating grin.

"Hey, it's what I can afford."

"Fair enough." He sat at the table, folded his arms behind his head. Aibo went to the couch. "Anything on the Giovanni thing?"

I told him everything about what he wanted, the letter, and Blue. "He called her a few days ago. Threatened to kill her and me if she didn't give him my phone number."

He was sitting up now. He was glaring and had his teeth bared. "If I could just get a hold of the bastard…"

"You can't. You won't."

"I know, it's just… man, _damn_, he has to have been planning this."

Silence. Then, he said, "You aren't actually going to steal a Pokémon, are you?"

I sighed. "I have to, Gold. There's no other way to keep him off my back."

"He's not even going to pay you, or anything?!"

"I think he figures that having independence for I-don't-know-how-long is payment enough."

He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "There must be some other way…"

"There isn't. I wish there was, but there isn't."

Silence again. Then Aibo got off the couch and went to Gold. Poked his leg with his tail.

"Hm?" he asked, turning to him. "'Sup, buddy?"

Aibo rubbed his stomach.

Gold turned to me. "He's hungry."

I nodded, went to the kitchen cabinets, opened one. In there was a box of cereal, two cans of soda, and a jar of Oran berries. I took the jar and pried it open. I took two Oran berries and put them on the counter, then I closed the jar and put it back. I grabbed the berries again, and went up to Aibo. I held them up to him. "Want 'em?" I asked.

Aibo's tail reached out for the berries and grabbed them. He popped them in his mouth, smiling. I faked a smile back.

For the next few hours, we watched "funny" videos, I read while Gold kept yapping on about how reading's supposedly do for fun, and Aibo might've knocked over a glass with its tail.

Then we all went to sleep, Gold and Aibo on the couch, me in the bed. Big day for both of us, tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

I OPENED MY eyes and looked at the alarm clock. Seven a.m. I sat up, looked over at the couch. Both Gold and Aibo were gone. I got out of bed and went to the couch.

In their place was a note. I picked it up and read it.

_Opening ceremony is at eight, needed to leave to get ready. Good luck on the thing. _

— _Gold_

I threw it in the trash, then went to the table. The letter was still there. I began to look it over. 'The username is usandthem382. Password's rt94m96.' I sat there, trying to internalize these. I felt like that was all I was going to be doing for the next two months.

I went over to the nightstand by my bed. There was a drawer underneath it. I pulled it open. In it, there were two Poké Balls. I took one and put it in my pack. Then, I took an hour's nap, and I left for Cianwood.

CIANWOOD WAS A town on the coast, surrounded by sand or water. It was also an area for the rich; taxes were through the roof. Most who moved there moved to other places, eventually. I couldn't even begin to hope to live here.

I decided to look for the Pokémon Center on the beach, first. Many of the residential buildings overlooked the sea. To not put one there would be commercial suicide. Sure enough, there was one dead in the middle of the buildings.

_Shit_, I thought when I saw it. It's not that I hadn't expected this, it was that it'd probably have more people there than if it was at the edge. I sighed, then I opened the doors.

They gave way to a rug, tiled floor, and benches on either side of the room. A few people sat on them. Most were looking at their phones; one seemed to be particularly engrossed in the newspaper. Something about him seemed almost familiar. There was a staircase next to the countertop.

I looked around the place. The countertop where they took the Pokémon and healed them was there. But no PC. I frowned, stepped over to the counter. The woman there smiled. It looked incredibly forced.

"Hi! How many I help you?" she asked.

"Can you heal my Pokémon?" I asked, figuring I might as well delay this so that no one gets suspicious.

"Certainly!" She reached under the counter and pulled out a tray with six spherical indentations on them. "Place your Poké Balls here."

I took them out of my pack and placed them there. They didn't _need_ healing, but, hey, who'll know that?

"Thank you," she said as she took the tray and placed it on the machine. She pressed a few buttons, then the machine began to make whirring sounds, like plastic rubbing against plastic. The Poké Balls began to glow. They stayed like that for a minute, then they stopped. She took the tray from the machine and presented it to me. I took the Poké Balls and put them back in my pack.

"Is there anything else you need?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you had a PC here."

She pointed to the staircase. "Downstairs. It should be the first thing you see."

I smiled my best fake smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome! We hope to see you again!"

I headed downstairs. The PC was the first thing I saw, beside that couch beside it no one was using. It was being used by a tall kid. Probably in his early teens, by the look of him. He turned and saw me. "Do you want to…" he trailed off.

"No," I said. "Take all the time you need." I went to the couch and sat.

The boy nodded and went back to whatever it was he was doing. I reached into my pack, pulled out a book, and began to read. I occasionally glanced over at the kid. Whatever he was doing, he was taking his time. He didn't notice me. A half hour later, he got off, headed to the couch. I checked the time. 9:42. I had time.

I went to the PC, clicked the thing to start it up. It asked for the username and password. In the username box, I typed "usandthem382". In the password box, I typed "rt94m", then I stopped. My finger tapped at the keyboard. My heart began to beat faster. I forgot. My first job and I fucked up already.

I pressed at the keys, slowly. The password box was now filled with "rt94m63". I pressed enter. Incorrect. I removed the 63, put in 09. Incorrect. I stared at the screen, muttering, "Shit shit shit _shit_…" I erased that, put in 93. Incorrect. But I was remembering. I tried 98. Incorrect. 96. I pressed enter. The guy's selection of Pokémon showed up. I sighed, smiling. I scrolled through the pages until I found the Poliwhirl.

Something was odd about this one. It was a lighter shade of blue. Now I knew why Father had wanted it, if nothing else. I clicked it and a drop-down menu appeared. I clicked the "Withdraw" option. A tray appeared from the PC's side. It, too, had the indentation. Then the PC said, "Please insert your Poké Ball into the slot on the tray." Below that, there was an "Okay" option and a "Cancel" option.

I went to my pack, fished around in it. Pulled a Poké Ball. I threw it on the floor. It opened, but nothing came out. Empty. I picked it up off the floor, closed it and put it in the slot. Then I pressed "Okay".

A few seconds passed before the slot glowed blue, and the PC said, "Your Pokémon has been successfully been transmitted to your Poké Ball. Please remove the Poké Ball from the slot." I did so, and the tray slid back into its compartment. I signed out, and headed upstairs.

I looked at the bench again. The man was still there, reading his newspaper. He looked up at me. I stood there, gaping, stupid. The man was Giovanni. He smiled, nodded, returned to his newspaper. I walked out quicker than I usually walk.

AT 11:50, I arrived at the Ilex Forest. Giovanni was there, standing by the shrine. He had a blank expression on his face. "I expected you to be done faster," he said, "Did you forget the password or something?"

"No," I said, staring straight at him.

He crossed his arms. "There's no point in lying to me, Silver. No shame in it, either."

"There's no point in criticizing me on a job completed, either." I reached into my pack, pulled out the Poké Ball, put it in his hands.

He looked it over, then threw it at the ground. The Poliwhirl, sure enough, came out, stared at us. Its eyes went wide. I frowned, mouthed "I'm sorry" to it. Then Giovanni returned it to its Poké Ball.

"Fair point," he said. He pressed the button on the Poké Ball. It got as small as a marble, and he pocketed it. He turned toward the exit and started walking toward it. "Expect a letter soon," he said. Then he left the forest.

I walked over to the shrine, leaned on it. I put my hand to my forehead and sighed.


	6. Chapter 6

WITH A BAG of new clothes in hand, I reached in my pocket for my apartment key. I grabbed it, used it to unlock the door, then I opened it. The first thing I saw was the letter on the floor. I blinked. I shut the door behind me as I stepped in, then I knelt down to pick up the letter. I opened it.

_Your next assignment is to steal a Pidgeot from a trainer that resides in Ecruteak. This one is on its trainer, who is employed with the job of guarding the Burned Tower site. Change your appearance if you wish, but __you must not be seen._ _This is very important._

— _Giovanni_

I glared, and was shaking. I put the letter on the kitchen table. I didn't care what it said. He knew where I lived. He probably got that out of Blue, too. _Fuck_, what a mess.

I looked at the bag. I bought a jacket, a hat, and a pair of fake glasses. I rolled my eyes at it, not liking what was going to be the result. I went into the bathroom and put them on.

It wasn't a pleasant sight when I looked into the mirror. I saw a person in a Cerulean Starmies blazer, jeans, a fedora, and bifocals. _This isn't fucking you_, I thought. The voice in my head was right. It wasn't me. It was an act I had to go with in order to keep the cops off me. Still, prison beats having to wear this shit.

There was a knock on the door. "Sil? You home?"

Hoo, boy. I had _some_ explaining to do. "Yeah, one sec," I said with a sigh, and I exited the bathroom and went to the door.

"You alright?" Gold asked.

"Sometimes," I began, "I don't even know." I opened the door.

Gold was standing there with Aibo on his shoulder. Both gaped at me when they saw me. Then they laughed, hysterically.

"Oh, shut up," I said, frowning, turning red. I gestured them inside, they went in.

Gold had his hand to his stomach, still laughing with watery eyes. "You look like a hipster!" Aibo fell off him, he was laughing so hard. He landed on his feet and walked over to Gold.

"I look," I responded, frowning, "like a fucking idiot."

He punched my shoulder. "Hipster, idiot, same difference!" He wiped tears from his eyes. "Anyway," he said, "what's the occasion? Finally got tired of dark purple on red?"

I shook my head. "Giovanni wrote in one of his letters to get a change of clothes. So I did."

"And you picked _that_?"

"_I _didn't," I said, then I paused. "Blue did."

"Taurosshit!" He was still laughing.

"I'm telling you the truth, I swear. I asked her to walk around the city with me and talk, and she did. We happened upon the department store and decided to shop for items useful in battles. Then we came upon the clothing department. I decided, fuck it, might as well develop a new persona for what I'm doing. She helped out." _Unfortunately_ was the unspoken word.

"Alright," he said as he crashed on the couch, "whatever you say, hipster."

I rolled my eyes. "Believe whatever you want to, man." I sat down next to him, took off the fedora and glasses. Then I looked at him. Glared and smiled at the same time. "Least I know what to give you for your birthday."

He started laughing again. "Your clothes for my birthday."

"Yes." I shook my head. "How was the Pokéathlon?"

He leaned back, put his hands behind his head, closed his eyes and smiled. "Nothing short of amazing. Musicians from all over the regions played their songs. Some of them were from Hoenn, Sinnoh, some as far off as Kalos, even! You shoulda been there."

I looked down. "Sorry I couldn't get a ticket."

He opened his eyes, looked at me and shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it. You would've been busy anyway."

"True enough."

Silence. Then, "Afterparty was good, too. Food was delicious."

I nodded. I wasn't really a big eater, so I didn't know what to add.

AFTER A WHILE, I'd decided I needed some time to myself. I went up to the roof of the building. I stood near the edge, looking at the skyline. Buildings of varying sizes and shapes made it up. The sun was setting behind one of them. A pretty sight.

The Poké Gear rang. I took it out of my pocket and answered it.

Giovanni's voice came through the speaker. "There's been change of plans. We're no longer meeting at the Ilex Forest."

"Where, then? And why?" I asked.

"We're going to meet at Route 40 from now on."

"_Why?_"

"Because I fucking said so. Alright? Happy?"

I didn't reply.

"I'll explain when we meet there. Noon, remember."

He hung up then. I stared at the phone. I pocketed it. Then I looked at the ground below.

Long way down.


	7. Chapter 7

UPON ENTERING ECRUTEAK, I realized that I was a fish out of water. Most other people dressed formally, men wearing robes or business wear, women wearing either dresses or kimonos. Most kids I saw were dressed that same way. I earned stares, wearing my hipster costume; my other, more regular clothes were in my bag. They probably thought I was just some punk trainer. They probably had no idea how right they were. I just kept on looking down, trying not to return their glances. I was probably more self-conscious then than I'll ever be.

I looked around the place. The architecture was interesting, not like most places in Johto. Roofs were curved and had curved eaves. They were the show of the place; many tourists I've heard of were mainly interested in the architecture.

I remembered the Burned Tower's location. It was one of the northernmost points of the city. I walked toward it. I saw a few tourists gathered around it, taking pictures. I walked toward them, hoping to blend in. I heard a man's voice, probably a tour guide, say, "You know, the Burned Tower is an important piece in Ecruteak's history. One-hundred fifty-six years ago, this tower, which at the time was named the Brass Tower, was struck by lightning and was put ablaze. Three Pokémon are said to have died…"

That was the point where I left the pack. All common knowledge, if you cared to do read a textbook once in a while. I walked toward the entrance of the tower and tucked in most of my long hair under my hat. Then, I walked through the front door.

What I saw surprised me, even. The guard was asleep in a chair by the ladder, with only one Poké Ball in his hand. There were no others on his belt. This was going to be easy.

I walked toward the guard, each step slower than the last. When I got to about arms length, I stared at the Poké Ball. Then I looked at the guard's fingers, which were red. He was holding it by a death grip. I sighed, grabbed one of my Poké Balls from my belt, and sent out Gengar in front of the guard. Then I walked behind him, and grabbed the Poké Ball in his hand. Tried to pull it away. It wouldn't budge. I heard a snort. I let go of the Poké Ball and stepped back. The guard stirred.

"Gengar," I whispered in a higher voice than usual, "use Hypnosis."

Gengar stared at the guard, who I assume saw it. His head jerked back.

"Wha —"

He didn't have time to react before Gengar's eyes turned blue and stared at him. The guard then turned limp and dropped the Poké Ball onto the floor. I heard snoring. I returned Gengar to its Poké Ball and returned it to my pack. I went to grab the Poké Ball off the floor and put that in my pack as well.

Then, I sent out Alakazam. We walked outside. "Use Teleport," I said. A blue aura filled the space around us. Everything turned white for a few second.

Then, we were at the Ecruteak Pokémon Center. I returned Alakazam and looked for the nurse's counter. It was right behind me. The nurse was frowning when I turned, and a second after that, an almost hideous smile replaced it.

"Good morning!" she said.

"Do you have a bathroom?" I said in that high voice.

She pointed to my left. A door with the sign "Men's" was there.

"Thanks!" I went over to it, entered a stall and changed into my regular clothes, suddenly very thankful that they existed.

ROUTE 40 WAS a long stretch of sea that led up to an island lined by sand and covered with trees following the coast. Compared to the sea, it was tiny, barely covering a few miles. As much as I hated Giovanni, I had to admit, Route 40 was a good place as any for a rendezvous.

I used Honchkrow to fly over to the island. Giovanni greeted us where we landed with a glare. I looked at his forehead, not wanting to make direct eye contact. Someone must have screwed something up, if he was looking at me like this. I just hoped, prayed that someone wasn't me.

"Follow me," he said, and he turned, heading inland toward the trees. I did as he requested. "Were you followed on the way here?"

"No." I was sure of it. _Why would I be?_

"You were spotted by some 13-year old. He told authorities. Long and short of it, you ain't seeing Cianwood for a bit."

The kid fiddling with the PC? Why'd he be interested in what I was doing? I was just another kid, plain and simple. Whatever the case, that's what Giovanni was angry about, probably. I looked down at my feet, not saying anything.

"Anything to say for yourself?" he asked.

"Are they going to tell the other cities?"

"No. That happened in their jurisdiction. There's no reason to." He pointed a finger at my chest, looked me in the eye. "Be more damn careful. I can't have _you _arrested. And if you are and you talk about me? Your life is over."

He didn't seem to be lying. Even if he was, I read about what happens to rats. Killed when they get released early. Forced into another region. I couldn't have that. "Yes," I said.

He just kept glaring. "Yes, what?"

"Father. Yes, father."

He nodded. "Let's see the Poké Ball."

I took it out of my pack and handed it to him. He threw it on the ground. A Pokémon with a crest of red and gold and brown plumage appeared. A Pidgeot. He returned it to its Poké Ball. "Least you got that right," he muttered. He wasn't looking at me when he said that. Probably thought I wouldn't hear it.

We eventually came upon a wooden cabin a few feet taller than Giovanni. There was a wooden slat which I assumed moved in and out on it. He opened it and went inside, me following. I looked around. There was one circular gap in the wall which served as a light source, which showed us a desk and a rotating chair. On the desk, there were written-on sheets of paper sprawled about.

"This," he said, "is our base of operations."

I crossed my arms. "Not too shabby."

He grunted. "We'll meet here from now on, every day unless noted in the letters."

I nodded.

"While you're here," he began, "I might as well tell you about Jessie and James."

"Hm?"

"Co-workers. They'll be assisting you on your next job. One has blue hair, the other magenta. You'll know them when you see them."

I nodded again, but slowly. If I needed assistance from them, I figured, the next job was going to be big. "Can you tell me what the next job is?"

"You're going to be stealing a Staraptor from the Violet City Gym."

I glared at him. "Without any form of identity concealment?"

"You'll be provided with masks. I also said to change your outfit, once."

"I have."

"What's the new one?"

I looked at everything else but him. Sighed. Might as well tell him. "Blazer, jeans, fedora, fake glasses." It all came out as a jumble of words.

He smiled. "Well, you won't be recognizable, at least. Come here tomorrow at around eight a.m." He shooed me away. "Now, get out."


	8. Chapter 8

I GOT BACK to the apartment at around 12:15. When I opened the door, Gold was sitting on the couch. He was frowning, looking at the floor. Aibo was nowhere to be seen. Then Gold looked up and saw me. He quickly looked elsewhere. "Oh. Hey."

I raised an eyebrow. "Hey." I sat next to him. Looked him in the eye. He wasn't looking back. "Aren't I supposed to be the depressed one?"

He nodded. "The track and field… it didn't go so well."

"How bad?"

He sighed. "Second place bad." He smiled.

I shook my head. "You didn't fool me. You love life too damn much to just head into a depressive slump following a failure."

He shrugged. "Ah, well. Can't always get what you want. Still, second isn't first."

"It's close enough."

"True enough." He reached in his pocket. He pulled out a silver medal. It had an Arcanine on it. "I got this right afterward." He gave it to me to look over. The first thing I saw was around the Arcanine. Something in Latin. I turned it over. Inscribed was, "FOR EXCELLENCY IN TRAINING POKÉMON IN THE HURDLE DASH EVENT".

I gave it back to him. "Cool."

"That's it? 'Cool'? Well, that's not all you'll be saying after I show you what else I got." He reached into his bag. He pulled out a stack of Poké Dollars and slapped it in my hand. It was definitely bigger than what I raked in from battles, nights before. My eyes went wide.

"Arceus —"

"15000 Poké Dollars, all for one event!"

I slid my finger up the edges of the bills, which flipped as I did so. "Damn, man! They're crazy to give you this much."

"And that's why I'm giving it to you." He smiled.

I looked at him. Shook my head. "No, Gold. It's your money. You earned it."

"I don't need it! Money saved adds up, and the family's loaded. If anything, _you _need it!"

He was right. I did need it. Rent was expensive, after all. Groceries were even more expensive. I couldn't keep denying it. "Fine," I said with a sigh.

He smiled. "I just thought of you when I got it. How you needed it."

"Thanks." I half-meant that.

He nodded. Then, he said, "We should have a celebratory lunch, or something."

"You're buying."

"Of course." Then his eyes lit up. "We should invite Blue. I've seen your face when she appears. You smile."

I sighed, looked at the wall. "I don't do that."

He laughed. "Oh, yes you do! You smile and appear actually _happy _for once. It almost looks cute."

I stared at him and crossed my arms. "Oh," I began, "so now you like me."

He laughed harder. "I think _you _like _her_."

"Taurosshit." I looked at the floor, shoved my hair away from my eyes.

"All signs point to you liking her. Besides, brushing your hair from your face is one of your tells."

I sighed. "Shut up."

He laughed. "Believe what you tell yourself, man. Who am I to judge?"

I grunted in response. Then, silence.

"So," he said, "we inviting her?"

I sighed. "Yeah, sure."

"Sweet. I'll call her now." He dialed the number on his Poké Gear and went out onto the balcony, leaving me on the couch. _Do I like her, or… _ My thoughts trailed off. I wasn't sure if I wanted to answer that question.

He came back into the apartment a minute later. "We're leaving."

"Now?" I asked.

"Yes, now!" He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the apartment. "Where _is _the diner, anyway?"

I took his arm and threw it to his side. "Just follow me. It's a couple of blocks away."

CILAN'S DINER WAS a four minute walk from my apartment, six from Blue's. When we got there,there was no sign of her in the crowd. We decided to wait by the door. A few minutes passed. Nothing.

"You're sure she said she was available?" I asked.

"Straight from the horse's mouth," he replied.

"She isn't here."

"She lives further down than you do, doesn't she? Calm down. You'll get to confess your passionate love for her later."

I sighed, rolled my eyes. "Not before you admit your passionate love for me."

"It ain't happening, man. Besides," he said, leaning back, "you didn't deny it."

A female voice said, "I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that."

We turned. Blue was by the door, smiling. She looked like she was holding in a fit of laughter.

I glared at Gold. He smiled, chuckled, scratched his head.

"How much did you hear?" he asked.

"Pretty much everything."

I looked up. Gold was about to say something. "Let's get out seats, shall we?" I asked.

Blue nodded. "That'd be a great idea."

We entered the diner. Greeting us was a bar with a few stools and a man in a suit standing by it. He had receding brown hair, wrinkles, and glasses. He walked over to us.

"Welcome to Cilan's Diner!" The maître d' said. "Table for three?"

I would've nodded, but Gold beat me to the punch. "Yes, sir!"

When he said that, the maître d' squinted his eyes, looked at Gold. "Aren't you the competitor in the Pokéathlon competitions?"

Gold grinned. "You bet!"

Maître d' smiled. "That was quite a show you put on earlier. Quite a show."

"Thanks, man!" He smiled in a way that just oozed pride. Or smugness. Probably both.

Maître d' gestured ahead to the tables and booths. They were filled with people, all either talking or eating. "May I show you to your seats?"

Gold nodded. "Lead the way."

Maître d' nodded, began to walk across the room. He showed us to a booth by the edge of the diner, which was next to a window. "Here is where you'll sit."

"Thanks," I said. I moved into one side of the booth. Blue sat next to me, while Gold sat across from us. He chuckled when he saw us.

Blue rolled her eyes. "It means nothing."

Gold leaned back in his chair. "Sure, sure."

"Now, listen," I said. "We're not going to talk about the Giovanni thing. Right?"

Blue nodded. "Sure thing."

"Of course, man," Gold said. "Wouldn't want to worry you about that at a time like this."

The waiter came by a few minutes later. We all ordered our drinks first. Gold's was an iced tea with lemon, Blue's a soda, and mine seltzer water. The drinks came by a few minutes after that. Cilan's Diner was known for its fast service.

I raised my glass a few inches in the air. "To Gold's silver medal."

He smiled, clinked my glass with mine, then his with Blue's, and finally mine with Blue's.

"And to our health," she added. Gold and I nodded agreement.

The waiter came back, and we ordered our food. Gold's meal was a double cheeseburger with fries, Blue's chicken fingers. I just had a salad.

A few minutes passed with none of us talking, just eating. Gold was scarfing the thing down, taking big bite after big bite. He set it down and tried a fry. Then another, and then he was set on eating the rest of them. I looked at Blue's plate. She was using a fork and knife to cut up the kitchen, then eat it. She looked over at me.

"Want one?" she asked.

"No, thanks."

She nodded, and went back to cutting the chicken up. I grabbed a fork and started to eat the salad. It was alright, I guess.

Blue looked at Gold. "I find it funny," she said, "that you'd get a _silver _medal."

Gold nodded. "That was my first thought when I was awarded the thing. Anyway, how've you been?"

"Pretty good, actually. Job's been treating me well." She got hired at the Poké Mart a few months back. "Pays the bills. How about you? Same as always, I guess."

"You're smart, you know that?" _Same as always _was code for happy with his situation and rolling in money.

Blue rolled her eyes. "There must be more to it than that. There always is."

He shrugged. "I've been studying up on colleges I want to go to. Other than that, nothing much."

"Shouldn't be hard," I said.

"If anything, tuition won't be a problem."

Blue put her fork and knife down. "Be back in a bit." She headed off someplace, probably the bathroom. I looked at Gold.

"Now she knows," I said.

"Think on the bright side! She could feel the same way and ask you out."

"Or, she could _not _feel the same way and _not _ask me out."

He paused for a second. "Do you want her to?"

I sighed. "Yeah, but why would she —"

He pointed at me. "Ah _ha_! You admitted you like her!"

"Gold?"

"Yep?"

"Fuck you."

He just kept on having that shit-eating grin.


	9. Chapter 9

I HEADED OUT to the island at eight a.m, arrived at the island at 8:20. It was a five minute walk to the base. I knocked on the door. The slat moved to an open a position. A pair of eyes came into view, but they weren't Giovanni's. His were black, and this pair had a green color to them. The slat closed.

Then, a male voice said, "There's some twerp out there, boss." He had some sort of accent. I couldn't place it. It sounded like he was from a few of the posh-er cities in this region.

A female with a similarly troubling voice replied, "What did he look like?"

"Red hair, purple jacket —"

"That's the boss's son, you idiot."

I crossed my arms. The male voice replied, "How was I supposed to know that? He didn't tell me anything!"

Giovanni's voice called out, "James?"

"Sir?" the male voice replied.

"Shut the fuck up, and open the door."

A pause. "Yessir." I heard footsteps moving toward the door. A lock was undone, and the door was opened. Standing before it was a blue-haired person with the same green eyes. He gestured me in. I walked in and saw a magenta-haired woman sitting in a wooden chair. She gave me a scowl. I gave her one back. Giovanni was sitting at his desk, and he turned to face me. He pointed at the man, then the woman.

"James, Jessie," he said.

I turned to them. James gave a small nod, not smiling, but not frowning, either. Jessie was glaring at me.

"He's just some kid," she said.

"This kid is capable of more than you think," Giovanni said, "Certainly more capable than you two mooks."

"What has he done besides breathe?" I looked down.

"Survived without me for six years. Without me, you couldn't survive a quarter of the time."

"Well —"

"Jessie," James said.

"— Let me finish, idiot!"

Giovanni slammed his fist on the table. Both of them jumped. Giovanni then glared at them. "You two will shut up right now, or both of you will be out of a job! Understand?" Both of them, after a few seconds, gave a small nod. I sighed. _He expects me to work together with grunts like _these_? _I was about to ask that, only Giovanni's mouth opened first.

"This afternoon, you three are to sneak into the Violet City Gym and steal a Staraptor from the office of the Gym Leader, Falkner. Your costumes are in the closet."

Jessie gave a smile. "Easy peasy," she said.

James looked at her, said, "You always say that, and then —"

Giovanni pointed at him. "Don't start." James's mouth snapped shut.

"One question," I said. "Why do I need a costume? Isn't it just a run in, run out kind of thing?" Jessie rolled her eyes.

Giovanni said, "You're not wearing a costume. All you'll be wearing is a ski mask."

James piped up, "Anything else we need to know, boss?"

"Enter through the back door. Don't go in Pokémon ablazing."

His face fell. "That's my favorite approach…"

"Also the most reckless. And the one I know that you'll most likely do."

He sighed. "Yes, boss."

Giovanni nodded. "Now, go get into your costumes and leave for Violet City Gym."

STANDING OUTSIDE THE back door of the Violet City Gym, I realized two things; one was that Jessie and James were idiots. They'd argued the whole way here over which Pokémon they'd use to get away if they get caught. I started to think with them, that was a large possibility. The second, less important thing was that a full-face ski mask was damn hot. And itchy.

With the two stooges behind me dressed in police outfits, I tried the doorknob. Locked. Jessie stepped forward and pushed me out of the way.

"Let me," she whispered, and pulled a credit card from her pocket. She slipped it in the gap between the door and the wall. She twisted the doorknob, and the door opened. She pocketed the credit card.

The door gave way to a long hall, which was empty. We all stepped inside. Then they grabbed me by the arms. "Let go of me!" I cried in that high voice.

"It's no use, ya twerp!" James yelled, trying on a lower-class accent. "We gon have a _nice _chat with Falkner, ain't'cha?" I noticed the accent was lapsing into a southern drawl.

Another officer came running from an intersecting hallway. He walked up to us. "What's going on here?"

Jessie was the first to speak. "Officer, we found this boy trying to lock-pick his way into the gym!"

He blinked. "Let's see who he is then. Off with the mask."

James said, "Won't be necessary, sir. We already have a description. We saw him put on the mask."

To add to the act, I stomped on James's foot. He cried out.

"You little — you little shit! Falkner will have you for breakfast!"

The officer was staring. He crossed his arms. "Say, pals," he began, "you must be new to guarding this gym."

James nodded. "Started yesterday."

He nodded in return. "Mmhmm. Tell me, what's the boss's name?"

A pause. "Falkner, of course!" James said.

The guard frowned. "Incorrect answer, friend." He grabbed a Poké Ball. Jessie was quicker. A flash of light, and a Yanmega was in the air quicker than he could throw the Poké Ball.

"Use Hypnosis!"

I saw a hint of a blue glow coming from Yanmega's eyes, and then the officer fell to the floor.

Jessie glared at James. "Now he knows our faces."

"It doesn't matter now," he said. "Quick, find the room with the Pokémon and stuff him in it."

There was a door to my right, further down the hall. I went over to it and tried it. Locked. I gestured for Jessie to get over there. She ran over there, did the thing with the credit card again. The door opened, and I stepped inside. There was a locker to the left of the room. I gestured for them to come inside. "Bring him," I said. This was probably it.

A few seconds later, they and the body they were dragging were in the room. James looked over at the locker.

"Is this it?" he asked.

"No," Jessie replied, "it's the Pokémon Center. Yes, it is!"

"Shut up," I said through gritted teeth. They shut their mouths.

My hand went to a Poké Ball on my belt. I pulled it off and threw it on the ground. My Weavile appeared from it, looking at the locker. "Use Fury Swipes on the lock," I said. It brought its claws high into the air, and threw them down onto the lock, which split into pieces and fell down to the floor. I returned Weavile, then opened the locker.

Inside, there were six Poké Balls, each marked with a letter. There were _St_, _Pe_, _N_, _Sw_, _H_, and finally _Pi_. I picked up _St_, held it to their eyes. "This is the one," I said.

"How're you sure?" James asked.

"There's no other Pokémon of his that begins with the letters _St_." I held it closer for them to see. Jessie smacked James, who recoiled.

"What was _that _for?!"

"For not seeing that!"

"Shut up!" I yelled. They looked up at me, with Jessie smiling.

"Temperament like his father."

I glared. "Just put him in the locker."

James moved around to the arms, Jessie grabbed the legs. They heaved him up, dragged him over to the locker, put him in it and closed it.

Jessie then said, "What's keeping it so the locker doesn't swing open?

A pause. Then I said, "We'll just have to hope that it doesn't." I started to exit the room, pressing the button on the Poké Ball and putting it in my pocket. "C'mon." They followed me outside, where we used our Pokémon to fly away from the Gym.

WE LANDED BY the base around thirty minutes later. I knocked on the door. The slat opened, and Giovanni's eyes looked us over. Then he closed the slat, undid the lock, and let us in.

"Let's see the Pokémon," he said. I reached into my pocket, grabbed the Poké Ball, and pressed the button. It grew so it filled my hand, then I threw it on the floor. A bird Pokémon with a black, red crest that tipped over its head appeared. Giovanni looked it over, nodded. I returned the Pokémon to the ball, and handed it to him.

"Did anything happen there?" he asked. I turned to Jessie and James. They seemed to be looking at everything _but_ Giovanni. She elbowed his arm, which he grabbed, and he shot a glare at her.

"Well," he began, "um…"

"Just tell me."

"Um…weranintotrouble —"

"Slow down."

Silence.

"Well, are you going to tell me what happened, or are you going to make fools out of you and your accomplices?"

"...We ran into trouble with a guard, boss. We knocked him out using Yanmega."

"We?" Jessie asked. "What did you do? Try fruitlessly to fool a guard with your fake accent?"

"It was the best I could do on short notice! Don't fault me —"

"_Enough, or I'll shoot both of you myself!_" Giovanni yelled, making all three of us jump. Jessie and James hung their heads. Giovanni sighed, muttered, "Arceus, give me strength." He looked at me. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Go. Now. Before I change my mind."

It didn't take me long to make my decision. I got the hell outta dodge.


	10. Chapter 10

I GOT TO the apartment at around nine. A few minutes after I sat down on the couch, the Poké Gear rang. I picked it up, Blue was on the line.

"You mind if I visit you over there?" she asked. "I have something on my mind which I need to talk to you about."

I raised an eyebrow. Call it a jump to a conclusion, but I suspected that it had something to do with yesterday. "Yeah. Come on over."

"Thanks." She hung up, then. I pocketed the Poké Gear and went to the coffee machine. I put a mug under the thing the coffee spouts out from and pressed the button that starts to brew the coffee. Then I sat at the table, looked at the door, waited.

There were three knocks a few minutes later.

"It's open," I said. The door opened, and in stepped Blue. She waved at me, smiled. I nodded at her, managed a smile back. I gestured to the chair across from me. "Sit here." She made her way to the chair, pulled it out, and sat.

She clasped her hands together. "I liked the lunch yesterday."

"Did you? What'd you like about it?"

"I just liked talking with my friends. Food was also good."

I chuckled. "Yeah, true."

She leaned forward in her chair. "I also, almost, had a good laugh about your conversation with Gold."

_A good laugh_, she said. I sighed, said, "Yeah, that was a bit...odd."

"It's also what I wanted to talk to you about."

I looked down. "What about it?"

"He said you liked me. And that Gold liked you."

"The second was a joke. Probably. You never know with Gold." I smiled.

She giggled. "I suppose. But is the first a joke, or…"

I said nothing.

"Do you like me, Silver?"

I opened my mouth, shut it, opened it again. "I… I don't know how to explain it."

"Explain what?"

"What I think of you."

She put a hand on my shoulder. "Just try as best you can."

I sighed. "You… you've been there for me for years. When I was down. I'm grateful for that. Really grateful."

She smiled. "You're welcome."

"I… Over that time, I've learned you're smart, funny… beautiful, even."

She nodded with that smile still on her face. "Anything else you have to say?"

"It's all I think I _can _say."

Silence. Then, "Do you want to know what I think?"

I nodded.

"I think you're smart, as well. Cute. Too hard on yourself."

I sighed. Arceus knew the last one was true. But I was smiling. She was reciprocating. I didn't even have to lift a finger to do this. I told myself to thank Gold later.

"What? You disagree?" she asked.

"No."

A pause. "Alright." Then another pause. The _ding _of the coffee machine went off, which Blue looked at for a second. Then she turned her attention back to me. "So…"

It didn't take me long to figure out what she wanted. "...Do you want to be boyfriend and girlfriend?"

She smiled, nodded. "Great," she said. It sounded earnest. She leaned over the table, kissed me on the cheek. I just sat there with that fucking grin on my face. She giggled. "You'll get used to it, eventually."

I blinked, laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure." I certainly hoped.

She then grabbed my head, eased it forward and planted a kiss on my mouth. I stared at her wide-eyed, then I closed my eyes, kissed back. After a few seconds, she let me go and we both eased back into our chairs. We smiled at each other. I stood up, got the mug of coffee and sat back down.

"We need to keep this a secret from him," I said.

"Why?"

"Cause he'll never let us hear the end of it."

She giggled again, nodded. "Yeah, true."

There was a knock on the door. She looked at it. "Is it him?"

"Probably. It's open."

The door opened, and there Gold was, with Aibo on his shoulder. He grinned at me, said, "Guess who got —" and then he saw Blue. "Oh, hey!"

She waved at him. "Hello!" I nodded at him.

"Go on," I said.

He nodded. "Guess who got the gold at the Relay Run event!" He pointed to Aibo, who smiled. "That guy's who!"

Blue's face lit up. "That's great! You must be really proud!"

"Oh, I am. You have no idea. Oh, Silver," he said as he reached into his pack, pulled out a stack of Poké Dollars and threw it to me, "that's for you."

I looked at it. It looked bigger than the last time. Shit, he was throwing a lot of money away. I nodded at him. "Thanks, man."

"No problem, man."

Blue stood up. "I'm just going to leave you two to it. Call me if you want to do anything, okay?" Both of us nodded, but I did so first.

"Sure thing," I said, smiling. She smiled back. We all said our goodbyes, and she headed out the door, shutting it behind her. I frowned. It had all been said and done so quickly.

"So," Gold said, "any reason why she was here?"

"She just came to talk about our Pokémon." I just kept looking at the door. Gold walked up to me.

"Only about that?"

I stepped a bit away from him. "Yes."

He smiled. "You were smiling at her, you know, and she was smiling at you. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hiding something."

"Well, I'm not, alright?"

He chuckled. "All right, no need to get defensive. Lover-boy." He winked at me.

I sighed. "So you know."

"I can read you like a book." He put a hand around my shoulder. "And I am damn happy for you, Silver. I _told _you you'd find someone."

I gave a small smile. "Thanks." _For blabbing like an idiot and landing me a girlfriend for that_.

"No problem, man. No problem."


End file.
